Birthday Surprise to Discovery Kingdom

I surprised Connor with a trip to Discovery Kingdom during his birthday week. We had a fabulous time! We were one of the first ones there and we closed the park down. Connor loved the rides of course, but really enjoyed the shows! He got to touch an elephant and a baby alligator. He loved the dolphin shows and asked to stay after to ask questions to the trainers. He asked great questions, like how does the dolphin lift itself out of water, and how does the dolphin catch balls with his teeth without popping the balls. Smart kiddo! Connor loved all the rides, especially the log ride which we went on 3 times! I was drenched!! I had an absolute blast spending the day with him!

Happy 5th Birthday Connor Michael!

An Interview with Connor Michael, 5 years old:

• How old are you? 5

• How do you like being 5?  Good. I feel special. 

• What are some things you like to do? Go to fun places like Chuck E Cheese. I like to do yoga with my mom, play with my mom, give kisses to my mom and hug her and play games. I like to watch sports with my dad. (looks at Michael) That's adda boy right?

• What sports do you like? Baseball.

• What things do you like to do around the house? Play with my sister and play Tag You're It.

• What are some of your favorite foods? Pasta, chicken nuggets, yasanya (lasagna), ribs, and raviolis. 

• What do you like to wear? Shorts and Tshirts

• What’s your favorite color? Blue, and Orange & Black

• Where are some of your favorite places to go? Johns Incredible Pizza, West Sac Pizza, Chuck, and I like to watch my dad play baseball.

• What things make you happy? When I get treats.

• What makes you sad? When people don't be nice to me. 

• What do you do when you are sad? Walk away from people or call my mom and dad.

• What do you do when you are mad? I tell my mom and dad.

• Who are your best friends? John, James, Hunter, Lily, Irelyn, Maddie, Dad, Mom, Auntie, Buddy, Tanner, Sophia, Lilliana, and Jax.

• What are your favorite movies or TV shows? Cars and Toy Story

• What are your favorite books? The Toy Story Sticker Book, and the "I love you all the time" book. I also like the book that we find things in it.

• What are your favorite songs? You Are My Sunshine and ABCs

• What do you like to do before bedtime? Read books, sing a song, and say prayers.

• What do you like to do on the weekends? Go bowling, go to Chipotle and golf with Daddy.

• How do you feel about being a big brother?   Very Good.

Summer Playdate

We hosted a play date last Friday and had a blast! We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends! I feel like raising our kids around such amazing families not only makes parenting more fun, but it also enriches the lives our kids tremendously. The kids enjoyed the water play and the mommies enjoyed catching up!

Some of my favorites of the two from this last week:

Popsicles in the bath

Playing together at the splash park 

Swinging at our friends' home

State Fair, Date Night with Mommy

Connor enjoyed the state fair so much this year, that he wanted to go back. So I took him for a special night out with me! It was much cooler and enjoyable at night and I wanted to make it a "yes" night in which I tried to say "yes" to everything. I feel like with raising kids, you say "no" so often, so this night was meant for Connor to lead the way and make the decisions! We had a blast! We loved the superhero exhibit and animal nursery, the rides, and of course the healthy food! It was fun to share a footlong corn dog with my little man! We stayed until 10pm and enjoyed every minute of our night. He is SO fun to hang out with!

Modesto Trip, Visiting Friends and Family!

California State Fair

We had a blast at the State Fair yesterday. We went to celebrate Madeline Kann's bday and really enjoyed hanging out with the Garamendi family. Maddie loved the petting zoo and Connor loved the rides! A fun time for sure!

Vacation Bible School

Connor had a blast at VBS this past week at Southport Community Church. He learned a lot about Jesus and had fun making friends, learning songs, and doing crafts. He got to perform in front of the big church this Sunday and I was so proud watching him perform!

SUMMER FUN!

Ice cream in the backyard!

Watching Daddy hit home-runs!

Watching the ducks at McKinley Park

Backyard water play!

Summer Fun!

Here are some pictures from our summer adventures! We've spent lots of time at the community pool and at the splash park. We've had lots of fun on outings including the zoo, Fairytale Tow, the Children's Museum, Folsom's Mini City,  and the park. Connor and I had a week of "dates" with just us since Madeline as still in daycare. We played Putt-Putt golf, went to Chuck E Cheese and went to the water slides! He was so brave and went on every slide that he was allowed to go on! I was very impressed! Mallory went with us and we had a blast! I'm already dreading the end of summer. I'm having so much fun with the kids!

Zoo Camp

Connor had an awesome time at Zoo Camp last week. He was sad that it was over! He got to go all week, and then on the last day, we got to go to his "Art Show" and stay to enjoy the zoo afterwards! He came home each day with lots of fun stories for us and he seemed to learn a lot about the animals!

Madeline is 18 months!

Our sweet daughter is 18 months! The time is really flying by! She is such a sweetheart. She snuggles and loves to give hugs and kisses. She loves her brother, and refers to him as "Bubba" or "Connie". She's talking a lot now! It just melts my heart when she says Mommy and Daddy. She likes to pretend to talk on the phone and clearly says, "Helloooo!" The last time I counted, I estimated that she has about 25 words! Her favored toy is any and all babydolls. She likes to carry them around, wrap them up in blankets, and push them in the stroller. It's amazing how she imitates what "mommies" do. She'll carry a little purse on her forearm, push the stroller with that hand, and then hold the phone up to her ear. She's already learning to multitask! One of Maddie's favorite things to do is play peek-a-boo. She'll initiate it and will hide around a corner or behind something and pop out saying "Boo!" She laughs hysterically when she 'scares' us. Connor is still the one to get the best belly laughs out of her! She likes to watch Connor and Daddy play baseball and she's starting to learn how to throw overhand. This summer, she has really enjoyed playing in the water! We go to the recreation center pool frequently and she is so happy in the water. She prefers to explore and bounce around on her own, but also likes to play games with mommy in the deeper water. She tolerates going under water and is beginning to float and kick. She's recently taken to books more and will often bring us books and then back into our laps to sit down. She loves to have books in the carseat with her and will flip through the books, looking at the pictures. She LOVES music and likes to dance. Whenever she hears music, she'll begin to shake her body and move around to the beat. It's adorable! She continues to be a good eater. Similar to Connor, she doesn't drink milk, but loves smoothies and yogurt. Her favorite foods are grapes, strawberries, spaghetti, chicken, pancakes, sausage, popsicles, guacamole, meatballs, and turkey. We just had her check-up and everything about her is perfect! She is 2' 7" (27%) and 23 pounds (59%) with her head being 47cm (68%). She has 6 teeth now (4 on top and 2 on the bottom). There are 2 more back teeth breaking through now. She continues to sleep well- usually 7:30-6:30am with one nap in the afternoon which is anywhere from 1-2 hours long. She loves her blankie and continues to use her pacifier when she sleeps. Maddie has the most beautiful smile and her eyes are just gorgeous. She gets a lot of attention when we are out and about. We are often stopped and people just gush over her. She often looks at them like they're crazy, but I'm sure she'll grow to appreciate the compliments. In fact, we had lunch at Subway today and a sweet grandpa came up to her and proposed marriage! He said he would wait for her to grow up. I told him he'd be waiting a very long time! Madeline is quite the girly girl. She often will go into Auntie Mallory's room and bring out necklaces and bracelets to wear. She likes to wear dresses and she'll bring nail polish to me for me to paint her toes! Such a sweetie! Although she's girly, I think she has an adventurous and athletic side to her. She loves to climb around the house and at the park. We have to keep a close eye on her! On a few occasions, people have been shocked at how adept she is on playgrounds at such a young age. I attribute it to wanting to keep up with big brother! She still loves slides and has begun to like going on the swings more. She's such a fun little girl and enjoys all of the outings with brother. She loves Fairytale Town, the zoo, and most recently, the Children's museum. We are so blessed by Madeline Emma. She brightens our day everyday!

At their 18 month and 5 year old check-ups with Dr. Phan at Kaiser. 

Madeline's 18 month photos... Our princess!